IMAX Traffic Jam, Continued: Iron Man Squeezed Out Next Week

We’ve already endured a rather ugly 3D IMAX traffic jam at the movie theaters. When Alice in the Wonderland came along a couple months ago, and snatched away IMAX screens from Avatar – which was still going strong – we saw the limitations of the current 3D IMAX marketplace. Then there was How to Train Your Dragon and Clash of the Titans, each cornering only a segment of the biggest and best screens. Studios shot themselves in the foot, unable to open wide in true 3D IMAX fashion.

Now it appears ready to happen again. Earlier today on director Jon Favreau’s Twitter feed, we read the following: “Anyone who wants to see Iron Man in IMAX should go this week. We lose all our screens the following weekend due to a previous contract.” We’re guessing that “contract” refers to Shrek Forever After, barreling its way into all 3D IMAX venues next weekend. And as Iron Man gets yanked from the biggest of the big screens, we see again the ways in which the infrastructure at the nation’s movie theaters is no longer adequate for the sort of spectacles being pumped out by Hollywood.

When it comes to summer blockbusters, 3D IMAX is the premium experience that viewers want – I know that’s how I wanted to see Avatar, so even I follow this rule of thumb when the content warrants it – but as the studios retool to get bigger and bolder, maybe they should think about aiding the theaters in renovating as quickly as possible, so that the big titles can get their big debuts. We need more 3D IMAX screens. Iron Man 2 shouldn’t be getting the boot after only 13 days.